Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-02-11
WOMAN's REALM.
Br Ms. L. II. BLANK. ASSOCIATE kp1roa
Shall Mothers vote2

Shall Mothers vote2
The following is from the argument
IN favor OF woman suffrage msde| be-
fore the United States senate by sena-
tor Blair. AS he meets and overcomes
very common objection, we invite'the
attention of all our opponents, who,we
hope will see the unfairRsss Of their
views on this subject.
"But it is said that the duties of ma
terhity dicqhalify for the performance
OF thB act of voting. II cannot be, and
l think is not claimed by anyone, that
the mother who otherwise would he flt
to vote is.renderetl mentally OF morally
less At to exercise this high .fubctionih
the state becaiise IF motherhood. On
the contrary. if any woman has a mo-
tive more than another person, man or
woman. to secure the enactment and
enforcement OF good lava, it is the
mother, who besides her own life, per-
son. and property, to the protection of
which the ballot is as essential as to
the same rights possessed by man;
has her little contingent of immortal
beings to conduct safely to tie portals
of active life through all the snares
and pitfalls woven around theth by bad
men and bad laws which bad men have
made, or good laws which bad men,
unhindered by the good. have defied
or have prostituted. and rightly to pre-
pare them for the discharge of all the
duties Of their day and cd 4neration, in
Guiding the exercise of tho very right
denied to their mother"
Certainly, if but for motherhood she
should vote, then ten tn busand times
more necessary is it that the mother
should be guarded and armed with this
great social and political power fof the
saks of all men and women who are yet
to be. But it is said that she has not
the time. Let us sac. BY the best de-
ductions 1 can make from the census
and from other sources there are Is, ,OOo-
600 women Of voting age in this coun-
try at the present time, of whom not
more than 100000 are married and
not moro than 100000 are still liable
to the duties of maternity, for it will be
remembered that large proportion of
the mothers of our country at any Civ
en- time are below the voting age, while
of those who are above itanother large
proportion have passed beyond the
point OF this objection. Not m pre-
than one-half the female population of
voting age are liable to this objection.
Then why disfranchise the 100000. the
other half, to whom yoNr objection,
even if valid as to sny. does not apply
at all; and these, too, as class the
most mature and therefore the best
qualified to vote Of any of their sex?
But how much is there Of this objection
of want of time or physical strengthNto
women who are bearing and training
the coming millions? The families of
the country average five persons in
number. II we assume that this gives
AN average of three children to every
pair, which is probably the full num-
ber, or if we assume that every mar
ried mother, after che become Of .vot-
ing age. bears three children, which is
certainly the full allowance, and that
twenty-fcur years are consuEl led in do
ing it, there is one child bor IN every
eight years whose coming is 70 inter
fere with tho exercise of duty of priv
ilege which. in NEST States, and IN all
the most important elections, occurs
only one day in two years"
"The same mother will attend church
at least forty times yearly on the aver
age from her cradle to her grave, be-
sides an intinity of other social, relig-
ious. and industrial obligations which
she performs and assumes to perform
because she is q married woman aud a
mother rather than for any, other reas-
on whatever. Yet it is proposed tode-
prive women--yes, I'll women alike
OF an inestimab)e privilege and the
chief power which can be exercised by
any free individual il the state for the
reason that on any given day OF elec-
tion not more than enc woman in twen-
ty of voting age will probably not b.
at the polls. 1t does seem probable
that on these interesting occasions il
the husband and wife disagree in poll
ties they could arrange a pair, and the
probability is, that Arrangement fail
ing, c1,e could be consummated with
some other lady in like fortunate cir
cumstances, of opposite political opln-
ions. More men are kept away from
the pclis by drunkenness, or, being at
the polls, vote under the influence of
strong drink, to the reproach- and de-
struction OF our free institutions, and
who, il woman could and did vote.
would cast the ballot of sobriety good
order, and reform under her holy intlu-
ences, than llthose who would be kept
2wAv frct,, any Given alactioil .bv tha